After buying the coffee from Bela Vista the producer wrote us a letter for us to be able to better understand their philosophy and products. It’s translated from Portuguese to English by Felipe Groce, and posted as it is, including the pics, without any editing from our end.
FAZENDA BELA VISTA
Producer: João Cecimiro Marques Dos Santos, José Claudio Marques Dos Santos and Solange Pereira Dos Santos
Municipality: Divinolandia, SP
Total Area: 24.66 Hectares
Altitude: 1100masl
Botanical Varietal: Red Icatu, Red Catuai and Mundo Novo
GPS: 7.604301 – 314.994
It all began when João Cecimiro Marques Dos Santos aquired the farm farm: Fazenda Bela Vista. Situated in the district of Divinolandia in the Mogiana region of the State of São Paulo, Brasil; the farm was in a state of abandonment. In immediate the Dos Santos family began planting trees of native and broad diversity of varieties. To today they have planted in approximate 12,000 trees, and the hold the goal of planting an additional of 800 to 1000 more trees per year. These trees will protect and increase the natural vegetation around the springs, correct previous and hinder future land erosions, and create green corridors for wildlife. Additionally, they plan to create a system of properly collecting and separating trash on the property as well as improving the five houses of the families that live on the farm.
After awhile they began to find the bird population increasing on the farm. One of our employees made two birdhouses for canaries. They were occupied almost immediately. We then made ten more and spread them around the houses for the birds to produce nests. We increased to 30 then 50 and today we have around 300 birdhouses spread around the farm! The birds reproduce around four times per year and have on average two kin. We feel immense pleasure in helping to populate and spread these beautiful canaries and other species that appear.
One fine day we were greeted with the appearance of a Border Collie dog and we began to call him TOB. He brought to us a beautiful expression of love and loyalty. After him we bought some dogs from the breed boxers. In our pastures we are breeding cattle; always treating our animals with love.
Along with all of this we have been plating coffee, which now covers an area of 24.66 hectares. 2002 was our first harvest and the coffee was totally abandoned. We began working with an agronomer with first the aim of quality and then quantity. The work involving from mapping of the farm, improving harvesting techniques such as using cloths under the trees, separating lots.
We have two ponds and one wonderful spring that gives birth in the middle of the coffee and provides water for the whole property. We have a small colonial style house in between the two ponds which recently completed 100 years. We converted this house into a mess hall where we all have the pleasure of uniting all the families, partners, neighbors, and friends together under a gas lamp, radio, wood fire oven, home cooked food, good coffee, good cachaça and singing around a guitar.
We began on the farm a project called Musical Renatinho for the children of the farm and neighbor farms on every Tuesday.
In 2012, through the Sindicate of Divinolandia, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marcos Croce and his team at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, whom work with fine coffees and partnerships in the whole region.
Its our priority to improve the quality of our coffee!
Hugs!
Divinolandia, SP, 29 of October, 2012
Farm owner – João Cecimiro Marques Dos Santos
Partner – José Claudio Marques Dos Santos and Solange Pereira Dos Santos
